Italian Wedding Cookies II

to make this already wonderful recipe even better use Almond Filling instead of the almond paste the cookies come out moist and even better.

I absolutley loved these cookies. They require 8oz's of almond paste in the recipe, but most paste comes in measurements of 7oz's whice sufficed just perfect. Go ahead and try them, there delicious!

HEAVEN ... tastes EXACTLY like the layered cookies you get at an Italian bakery. If you want to impress your friends & family, this is the recipe to go with. Not NEARLY as complicated to make as they look!! I will make these again, for sure!! The only thing I would note is that you don't need to use all the chocolate ... I found the top layer a little too thick ... made curring into pieces a bit difficult. I would use less so that there is only a very thin chocolate layer on top.

WONDERFUL! Taste and texture of the bakeries on Long Island. I've tried a couple of other recipes over the past few Christmases. Although they were great, this is by far the best recipe. Soft cookies, perfect mild almond flavor! Don't change a thing in this recipe. The only thing I don't do as far as the chocolate is cover the top completely, but rather cut the cookies into long strips first, use a drizzler with melted chocolate in it and drizzle it along the tops and let it fall down the sides, and then cut them into the smaller one inch cookies. It can be messy and hard to cut nicely with the chocolate covering the top once it hardens (it cracks).

Excellent! If you cut up into pieces before the entire sheet is perfectly chilled, it makes it easier to deal with the hardening chocolate.

My mother and I make about 36 different types of cookies for Christmas. This year this was one of the new recipes we tried and it was a HUGE hit! Absolutely delicious and very professional looking. It really isn't as difficult to make as it may look and it is WELL worth any extra time.

this recipe is great i switched the rasberry jam to apricot it is a better tasting cookie in New york this cookie is called seven layer cookies or rainbow cookies we use apricot jam for the filling it is better to use fresh almond paste if you can get it. i get it from my bakery it is a great cookie to make anytime of the year

This is a staple at Christmas each year. My family loves these cookies, and I enjoy making them. The last time I made them, I accidentally bought almond filling instead of almond paste, and they turned out delicious as usual. I used 12 oz of almond filling and added more almond extract to increase the almond flavoring. Another change I made was to add some milk and oil to the chocolate while I was melting it. I just use my small Pampered Chef micro-cooker and melt the chocolate in the microwave. With the addition of the milk, the top layer of chocolate cuts a lot easier and doesn't break. One last thing, I always line my pans with parchment paper to make it easier to remove the layers from the pans.

An absolutely beautiful recipe! During preparation, I started to panic when I saw the texture of the batter. Do realize, if you come across a rather doughy, light and fluffy batter, you are on the right track, and this is correct* Have patience when making these cookies. My only regret with this recipe is that I was rushing. My top layer broke, but not to worry I used the melted chocolate to cover up the cracks. I also recommend Apricot Jam, and the recipe calls for one jar...do not use one jar of jam; Use a half a jar jam to avoid jelly oozing out of the cookies. As well as the chocolate, use it sparingly, to avoid a thick clumpy mess. And most importantly, allow your cakes to cool down. Or else you will have a broken layer cake, like what happened to me!! One extra tip...When your finished applying the layers, the chocolate, ect...Before placing into refrigerator for cooling...place a sheet of foil on top of cake...and take a heavy pan to give the layer cakes some pressure...You could also use a brick from outside of the house and wrap it up in a plastic bag, of course ensure the brick is rinsed off..this pressure will give your cookies a professional look, and compressed the layers, as seen in the photo above. Bon appetite!

Fantastic! My batter stuck to the pan a bit, so on the last batch I lined the pan with foil. This recipe is a keeper. It's very impressive and easy to make, and I will definitely make it again.

Fantastic! I'm a novice baker but these turned out really great looking and just as good to eat! I did find the chocolate a bit thick to cut through, so next time I'll take the advice offered and use a little less so it doesn't crumble. Great recipe!!

SO GOOD! I'm pretty sure I will be making these again, because not only did they receive universal acclaim, but also I didn't get to eat enough because everyone took them!

This is a simple, great recipe for Italian Wedding Cookies. Some tips: I use smaller, square pans which makes removal and stacking much easier. Like many of the others, I use apricot preserves instead of raspberry. I find that it matches up with the almond flavor much better and it's prettier, in my humble opinion. Try using a bread knife to slowly 'saw' through the layers if you're having trouble cutting them without ruining them. Have fun experimenting with colors! Today I'm making a Valentines version with red, pink, and white. For baby showers, do blue, pink, and white. They're gorgeous! Oh, and I also add a bit more almond extract that what this recipe calls for. Try using two teaspoons instead of one for a more flavorful cookie.

Do remember to cut these cookies into small pieces. They are very rich. Like one of the other notes, I used 7 oz of almond paste. I compensated by using a little extra almond extract. The recipe makes for a nice presentation. I must say that while I was cooking the cookies, I was not very confident that they would turn out. However the final result looks impressive. I think next time I might also try a custard filling instead just to see what happens.

I somehow made a mistake on the stars when i previously reviewed this...this is the recipe I have always used as it has a extra stick of butter...I sometimes use the foil pans from the supermarket and its a great recipe...

These were AWESOME! When they were finished, I simply couldn't believe I made such pretty cookies! I would make then a few days in advance, I had them cut up in the refridgerator and after 3 days wthey were devine, much better then fresh!

Great recipe. Since I wanted a cake-like texture, I made two layers instead of three. I decided to cut the layers into cubes before applying the chocolate. I ended up with moist and delicious mini-cakes that my co-workers gobbled up. They couldn't believe I made them. KEEPER!

This is amazing! Followed recipe, great success! Made this last Christmas, Big HIt! Everyone loved it, exactly the recipe I was looking for! Getting ready to make it this year again!

There are no Italian bakeries where I live in FL, so I used this recipe to recreate them. Wow!!!!! Comes extremely close the ones I had growing up in NY and NJ. I used almond filling because I couldn't find almond paste (surprise, surprise) and it worked just as well. One tip: be sure to take the layers out at 12 min, not to overcook them, otherwise it will be dry.

These were great!! If the chocolate is too difficult to cut, put your knife in hot water (to heat the knife) before cutting, and cut slowly. Enjoy!

I LOVE these! I received many compliments at a recent Christmas party. I reduced the amount of chocolate a bit so they would be easier to cut - they will be part of my holiday cookie tray from now on. Thanks! karen

I love this recipe! So much fun to make! Everyone is always pretty impressed with them. I would advise keeping an eye on them in the oven, mine usually need a little less time than recomended. Also I highly recomend lining you pan with foil or parchment paper, I have no idea how you would get it out in one piece otherwise! Last but not least, as a few others I use the almond filling instead of paste, they always come out great!

Delicious and a big hit with family and friends! I had never eaten Italian wedding cookies before and wasn't aware that they were more like cake. For Christmas, I made red, white and green layers. I also added a little Crisco to the chocolate to help it remain soft and greased the pans after some initial frustration with the cookie/cake sticking to the bottom. We did not find these treats dry at all - in fact, they grew more moist as they sat because of the jam between the layers.

Very good and fairly easy to to make. They are really impressive to look at and quited delicious. I would suggest spreading a thick layer of jam in between the layers and heating the jam is not necessary.

These cookies were fantastic! Don't be afraid to put plenty of jam between the layers though! I was afraid it'd be too messy, so i used it sparingly, and they were a tad dry. Could have used more. Otherwise, the flavor is fantastic!

Fabulous! I am Italian from NYC and these were the best. I made them for a church cookie swap and they were everyone's favorite. THe only problem is now I have to keep making them for every party I go to. I double the recipe and use a larger pan...works great and I get about 72!

excellent would not change a thing

Fabulous Italian, Greek or Mexican wedding cookies...whatever you call them. They will make you look like a pro...easy and delicious. I have been for a recipe just like this. An heirloom quality cookie....

These are MARVELOUS SPECIAL COOKIES... I make them every year at Christmas time ,my platters always look elegant. I even made these delights for my daughters wedding favors, boxed at each place setting and decorated with her colors. DEVINE RAVES!!!! My only tip for cutting these.... after the cakes have been stacked and cooled, cut them into logs BEFORE you coat with chocolate leaving space between the logs, then cover all sides with chocolate...take your time as you see the chocolate begin to set, SCORE the top and edge where you want to cut and then let it harden all the way. This will insure your cookie will not crack when cutting. One more thing(I do this) I leave them in log form until I am ready to plate them, They always are moist and fresh even if I have made them a week ahead of time.

I found this recipe a few years ago and never reviewed it...I have made it several times. It's quite good and looks pretty on a cookie tray.

These were very pretty and impressive looking little cakes, but the taste was just ok. I lined my pans with parchment paper and the cakes came out easily once they were totally cool. I added some butter and a tiny bit of corn syrup to the chocolate; this allowed me to cut them without any cracking at all. These are a little time consuming but not difficult to make. Thanks for the recipe.

very good recipe when you want something impressive! I had a little trouble cutting the bars through the chocolate topping, but everyone enjoyed them at the party I baked them for!

Very Similar to the store bought Rainbow Cookies in NY! Although I still think the ones in NY are better! I used a whole Jar of Raspberry Preserves, It looks like a lot but the cakes soak it in and it thins out. You MUST let these sit in the fridge for a couple of days in an airtight container, as with most italian food these get better in time as all the flavors mingle. Also, I did 1/2 of the chocolate and it was still a little to thick. Will make again but will use less chocoalte topping. Thanks for a great recipe

Great Recipe! These cookies a great looking and tasting. I took everyones advise and only used a thin layer of chocolate on top. I had a problem separating the batter evenly into three. However, even or not they came out great.

Every time I have made these cookies I have received many compliments. They are definately one of the favorites at cookie exchanges. I did not give them 5 stars because although they are good, they also involve alot of prep time. Certainly not easy or inexpensive, the alomond paste is pricey. The cookies however taste heavenly.

AWESOME! I have tasted these cookies many times from the local Italian bakeries and I have to say these are just as good and a lot less expensive when you make them yourself. Per others I cut the chocolate topping back to 10 oz instead of 12 and that was plenty. The biggest challenge is cutting w/o cracking the chocolate. If you warm the knife under hot water is does cut through better. These cookies get better day by day as the jam soaks into the cakes. I also think if you waited a day for the cakes and chocolate to soften and then cut the sheet up it would eliminate the cracking issue. Next time I will take this approach. I chopped my almond paste in the food processer to make it easier to manage.

Love, love, love the taste - my questions is - they don't rise at all so getting them off the cookie sheet is a challenge. Any suggestions?

I have been making different versions of this cookie for years as these are my favorite cookies. A few important items, the jam filling makes a huge difference in the final taste-some are just too sweet I prefer a tangy one with a stronger berry flavor for balance. I like Odessa almond paste tube but then I add almond flavor too. Some other versions, such as Solo cans, do not need the additional flavor. I use a mix of Nestle semi sweet and milk choc chips (60/40) usually. The milk will melt faster to stir. Spread the choc and then use a knife to score cutting lines. Refrigerate. Use a thin sharp knife and cut the on score lines and you will have almost no breakage. I often cut a long strip and then tilt on the side to cut the bars. Do not make the chocolate too thick by using more or it will break, especially the bottom side.

How come the picture looks white on top when it says to use semi-sweet chocolate chips for the icing? My Italian son-in-law calls these Flag cookies, because of the colors of the Italian flag. I make them for him at Christmas.

A little extra work involved but well worth every minute. Tasty, not too sweet and they make a lovely presentation. They may be 'wedding' cookies but they were a hit for Father's Day!

These cookies are excellent. The change I made was with the chocolate. I melted a bit of "Gulf Wax" (about 1/3 cake)then added the chocolate bits. I cut them in strips before I put the chocolate on. The cookies cut without cracking. They freeze well. My family loves them.

What is almond filling--a commercial product? What is the white topping on the squares; is there chocolate under that glaze? What is more authentic, the glaze or the chocolate topping. Are the cookies easily cut into squares without breaking.

The best cookies you can ever make

Delicious!!

This recipe is fabulous! I've made this recipe lots of times and I love making this recipe because I always get great results.

I love this recipe! They look so elegant, and are always a pleaser. I do however use 1/2 a bag of dark chocolate, and 1/2 bag of milk chocolate chips, boiled seperatley to give it some variety.

just like the ones you would get in NY from an Italian bakery

Thank you, these are amazing! A must-try, it's well worth the work. My husband asks me to make them all the time now :) The only thing I did differently was use 7 oz of almond paste but that's the only size the store had.

This recipe tells you to use a UNGREASED 9x13 pan. Cookie stuck terribly. I put it together as a smashed up mess. Ok for my six year old son, but kids would eat sugar right out of the bowl if you left them.

These are Far Better then the ones at my local Bakery!! OMG! These are Wonderful! They are so easy to make and so impressive looking..:) I will make these again for sure!!!

I use only one cup of salted butter instead of 1 1/2 cups, and I don’t add salt. I also use apricot jam in one layer (New York style) instead of Raspberry Jam in both. I use thinner layers of melted chocolate as well on both sides.

Excellent recipe. These are Italian bakery quality. Easy steps (except dividing into three equal parts) and so delicious. Make your own almond paste. Easy and much less expensive.

I was so excited to make these special cookies for a Christmas gathering because all the reviews were so positive and they looked so pretty. Making the batter was fine, and baking them was no big deal. But, two of my three layers were very difficult to remove from their pans. (Those were the layers in the pyrex 9x13's I used. The layer in the metal pan I used came out fine. So be forewarned if you use pyrex baking dishes.) I had a horrible time with the chocolate, melting the chips down to a smooth, spreadable consistency. Then I recalled past experiences with melting chocolate chips for dipping strawberries. (Not all chocolate chips are equal and some are much better to melt than others. I used Trader Joe's chocolate chips this time and I don't recommend them for melting and spreading. Overall, with regards to melting, Nestle's are nice, Hershey's are horrible, Trader Joe's are terrible. ) I basically gave up on these cookies and left them in pieces for my husband and kids to munch on. They don't care how they look. I had to settle for taking peppermint ice cream and brownies to the Christmas party.

I thought these cookies would be hard to make but they were pretty easy. They soften after being in the fridge. They taste like the bakery version I used to get in New York. I would like them if they were a little more cake like.

Expensive and just ok - but a nice different cookie. Looks really special

Such a marvelous idea! We've ordered cookies similar to these from our local bakery, had I known of this recipe we probably would have asked them to make them like this!